The economy of the Oberhausen region profits from the advantage its location offers with quick access to internationally high-standard research and technology and to well-educated graduates. The Metropole Ruhr has a total of six universities, five universities of applied sciences and four private colleges together boasting 162,000 students. In addition, there are 13 institutes of the internationally renowned German research companies Fraunhofer, Max-Planck, and Leibniz as well as numerous further technology institutes. These research facilities are complemented by approx. 30 technology, innovation, and start-up centres.

The large companies showcase the strength of private research and development taking place in the Metropole Ruhr. From here, they manage large research budgets that set the course for future development. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important part of this technological basis. Their own research created very specialised know-how.

Oberhausen’s well-developed educational infrastructure provides a very special advantage. The numerous educational institutions offer multi-faceted, highly qualified and specialized programmes that can stand up to a modern, high-performance and constantly changing economy.